1/21/2008

Those French...

I must confess, I am not a Paris/France fan. The reason might be a terrible experience when I was forced to wait 8 hours at Concorde Square in the cold and since I did not know the city, I had nowhere to go, I had seen what I wanted to and there is hardly any other 'activity' I hate more than waiting. But when a friend of mine has stated he disliked French movies, I thought I had to protect them and I happened to name about a dozen French films I adore. And then there is Chanel, of course and Lacroix and Vuitton and... so, in one word, fashion. French fashion.And when my mother claimed the other day there were no handsome French actors, that was the point when I realized, even if I am not as obsessed with the City of Lights as much as most girls are, there are some things I must defend. And French actors certainly make the list.I admit, my taste in men is not the usual taste either. And while most women disagree with me when I say Jean Reno and Daniel Auteuil have that certain something, here are three talented men that I am sure many women do find good looking and, let me say, sexy.First, a classic: Jean-Paul Belmondo. Not the typical 'oh so pretty, oh so perfect' man, but there is nothing I hate more in men than perfect beauty. For example, Orlando Bloom does not impress me at all but I can't get enough of Benicio del Toro. Another example: Brad Pitt means nothing to me but I find Adrien Brody absolutely attractive. So here is Belmondo, with his characteristic nose, in my idolized Godard movie, Breathless (he has made more film with Godard, perfect match). Check the moves, the gestures, the expression of the face... Even if they are parts of his character, it makes him impeccable.The young generation: Louis Garrel. He is loved in French by many many fans, most of the world knows him from Bertolucci's Dreamers where he had some romance-like relationship with Eva Green.And last, but definitely not least, the icon: Romain Duris. His voice, his mouth, his intelligence, his hair, his movies (with only a few exceptions)... - the most popular young French actor nowadays. You might recognize him from L'Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment) or from Arsène Lupin and I recommend you to watch him in De battre mon coeur s'est arreté (sorry, I don't know the English title). His performances are really touching, one of my favourite actors.